Saturday, April 27, 2013

"Year End" Blog Hop and Giveaway

I sometimes feel like chicken little when it comes to the end of the year. It is amazing how much you forget you have to cover until you hear the words "We only have x-number of weeks left!"

However, these are the days that I step back and realize just how stinkin' amazing the year has been. I also realize that once our state testing is past, the pressure seems to lessen and I am able to delve into several activities, like my latest undertaking, PROJECT: OUR TOWN. The students have been learning like crazy about their (More on that in another post).

As the year comes to an end, one of my most favorite activities is to have my students write words of wisdom for the next years class. I then make a bulletin board that says: "You Say Goodbye, We Say Hello" and then I mount all the words of advice on the board. It is fun and funny to read over the wisdom that is passed down from class to class. You also get to see just what made an impression on your kiddos during the year. I think every year, several students will offer the advice that "homework better be turned in on time", and that "when Mr. Hughes is talking you better listen". These always make me smile.

Another great activity I do is have the kids make a mixed-media art piece that represents the year for them. I am always amazed that the memories that my students have and the creative ways they have in representing them on their art pieces. I wish I had pictures of both of these activities, but, I do not. I know...I know...
But I never seem to remember to take them until its too late.

One other thing that I do EVERY year, is give awards at a class awards ceremony. For many of my 13 years of teaching, I just used the generic student awards for science and math and writing and...you get the idea. Then I had a great idea. Why not let the kids vote on awards to give each other! It is such fun to vote on awards such as Best Smile or Most Likely To Be a Rock Star. There are always LOTS of giggles, laughter, and applause as they students wait eagerly to see what their classmates voted them to win!

I set to work making the awards and the system for having kids vote. It was a bit of a pain, but now I have an awesomely smooth system and last summer I jazzed up my award certificates.

So, what IS this great little system I have? I call it Class Vote Awards. You can check it out by clicking on either of the pictures below.

Want to know something even better?!?!? You can win this (and a whole lot of other great year-end resources including a $35 Amazon gift card) for FREE! WAHOO! You will need to follow the hop until you find the blog with the Giveaway submission option! Below is more information about the hop AND the blogs you will want to visit!